A Ranger I Will Be
by PhantomDragon12
Summary: After it's realized Celestine isn't meant to be a Courier, she takes on a Ranger apprenticeship. When she's assigned to go to Hibernia to rid it of the Outsiders, she'll have to use every weapon in her arsenal.
1. Perhaps A Ranger

**In honor of the recent release of The Kings of Clonmel in the US, I've decided to rewrite my once-drabble-like RA story and turn it into something with a real plot. Hope you like it!**

**Oh, and if you don't know, blue lightning is basically when lightning appears blue. I couldn't think of anything else to explain the color I wanted her eyes to be. **

**Chapter One**

**Perhaps A Ranger**

Fifteen year-old Celestine smoothed down her white Couriers uniform, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. She thought about opening the window at the far end of the room and attempting to climb down the side of Caraway Castle. She bit the inside of her cheek, mentally kicking herself. She knew what she'd done was wrong and she knew that there were consequences to face.

Her musings were interrupted as an older Courier walked through the door. Lord Brendon glanced toward his daughter, motioning for her to sit before he took his own chair. As the head of Courier affairs at Caraway, one of his duties was training the apprentices, and, in Celestine's case, reprimanding them.

Brendon studied his daughter. At the moment, she seemed to be finding vast enjoyment in her fingernails. The slight angle her head was tilted at allowed her black hair to fall in front of her bright blue eyes, the color of blue lightning. Even though she spent any time possible outside, her skin hadn't tanned in the slightest, remaining its same ivory white.

In turn, Celestine studied her father. Ash-blond hair and kind grey eyes gave him a friendly appearance whenever he wished it. At the moment though, he looked troubled.

Finally, Brendon broke the silence. "You pushed him."

Celestine struggled to hide the grin that showed on her face. In retrospect, it didn't seem like the worst thing to do, just during the worst possible moment.

"You pushed him into the mud. A baron's son."

"Well, he _did _insult and flirt with me in the same sentence." Celestine explained, if a bit peeved.

Brendon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, normally I wouldn't object to you defending your honor, but while you are on a diplomatic mission, being violent toward the very ones we're trying to talk into trading with us isn't that good of an idea."

Celestine looked at her fingernails again. It was true, her temper was a weakness. Over the years, she'd been working on controlling it. Over time, she'd developed a slightly long fuse. It was just that arrogant teenage boys seemed to make it burn faster than others.

Brendon studied his daughter, knowing her very nature was to strike out when she was insulted. While wonderful with words and debating, her temper was definitely something to watch. "I'm ending your apprenticeship," he stated shortly.

Celestine's eyes widened and she gaped like a fish. "But Dad! That's just… It's… why?"

Brendon watched his daughter calmly. "You've got a temper Celey. You've too much of your mothers' fighting spirit to sit calmly when you're insulted."

Celestine glared and slumped back into her chair. "Instead," Brendon continued. "Berenger has accepted you as his apprentice. You're to become a Ranger."

**Okay, short, I know. But it's really a way to introduce Celestine. Have you guessed who she's related to yet? Celey is her father's pet name for her, by the way. **

**Hope you like it. **

**See the button? Press it pwease! ^.^**


	2. Fifteen Years Earlier

**Okay, so here's Chapter Two. I got the inspiration for this sometime while reading Kings of Clonmel! Spoilers will occur later. **

**Oh, I was wondering if anyone here has seen the movie **_**Eragon**_**. If you haven't check it would, I think the actor for Brom would be a great Halt, albeit a bit tall. **

**My sole reviewer: Lady Maeror**

**Chapter Two**

**Fifteen Years Earlier**

It'd been years, Halt reflected. Of course, he'd visited his home country of Clonmel before, but only to observe. Observing his brother, the failure Ferris had become as King. He kept an eye on the political and economic affairs, trying to make sure that things didn't get too out of hand.

He also observed his younger sister. As is a sad fact of life, people grow up, as had Caitlyn. He'd come back every few years and was amazed how fast life changed when one wasn't there to watch it in motion. When he'd left at age seventeen, Cait had been fourteen, really still a girl. The first time he returned to Clonmel, just after he and Crowley had started the Ranger Corps, she'd been eighteen.

At first, he'd been surprised to find that she was no longer known by the family name of Carrick. In fact, it'd taken him a few hours to realize that his little sister had grown into a woman and married a prince. Of course, it was obvious in hindsight. She was a princess and would've married a prince of some other Hibernian kingdom. But even that hadn't been nearly enough to stop him from wanting to skewer the kid who'd married her.

The next time he returned to Clonmel, his sister had a small family of her own. Her son's name was Sean. As he did with the rest of his family, Halt watched the boy and concluded after a few days that he could end up all right if he didn't allow himself to be dragged into the sad politics that was the court of Hibernia.

The next time he visited, he spoke with Caitlyn. Perhaps it was sheer luck, but she'd been vacationing on the coast and Ferris had been at the castle. Whatever the reason, she must've recognized him and he found her in the room he'd rented later that night.

"Take me with you."

Well, it had been more a pleading than a request. Caitlyn had shook as she said the words.

"Please Halt. He killed Nathaniel. I know he did. I can't let him kill my baby."

At first he'd thought she meant Sean, but the boy had stayed at Dun Kilty.

So he met her on the docks in the early hours of the dawn. The three had then returned to Araluen. She settled on the furthest western coast, in a small cottage on a cliff overlooking the sea.

It is here that the change happened. A change that affected so many lives.

Caitlyn stood on the cliff-side, her two month old cradled in her arms. She never heard Halt come up behind her, but by now she'd become somewhat accustomed to her brother's further developed sneakiness.

"I need to return to Redmont, Caitlyn," he said softly.

She nodded, her dark hair falling unbidden into her face.

"I owe so much to you Halt," she whispered. Halt waited and listened, knowing his sister well enough to tell she was going to say something more and that she disliked being interrupted.

Her arms tightened slightly around her daughter as she thought about what she was about to do. Unlike Halt, there was the possibility Ferris would attempt to have her found. She couldn't take the risk that her daughter would be taken back to Hibernia.

"And, yet, I need one more favor from you."

Halt watched her, unwavering in his gaze. So different from Ferris, she reflected. It was no small wonder why she was closer to Halt than his twin.

She nervously chewed her bottom lip. "I want you to take her." Caitlyn choked the words out. She caught her breath for a moment, attempting to decide how to word her request.

"The chance Ferris will find me is too great. Not many mothers with new babies crossed the sea at the time we did. It wouldn't be hard to track me. If I am found, I'll be forced back home, if only to be an "heir" to a throne I've realized I don't want. I can't allow her to live that kind of life."

Halt blinked and stepped back slightly in shock. "You'd give up your child?" he asked, horrified.

She allowed a rueful grin to show on her face. "I'll never give her up," she said with conviction. "Of course, I'll check up on her every time I get the chance." Her eyes slid from her child to her brother. "I'll expect you to put her in the best place possible."

Halt's gaze drifted to his niece. "Of course I will."

And with that, Caitlyn handed her child to Halt and turned to walk back to her new home.

Halt stood there for what felt like hours till he found the will to mount Abelard and ride to his new home in Redmont. He stayed silent for most of the ride, speaking only softly when his niece cried for food.

But it wasn't until he finally returned that the best possible opening for the girl presented itself. He returned to find Pauline in mourning. Her sister-in-law had lost a baby girl, dying in childbirth herself.

So Pauline and Halt made the trip to Caraway Fief.

As he handed the baby to this male-look-alike of Pauline, he let his gaze linger on the girl.

He turned to Brendon. "Her name is Celestine," he said shortly and turned to leave.

**Okay, so this chapter is kind of… sad, but I felt it was necessary for the plot of the story. **

**Oh, and the button right there? The one that says review? Click it please. **


	3. Gathering Time

**This is where the story will start to make more sense. Oh, and I've placed Caraway Castle on the coast. If you've seen the map, picture it a little more to the east. **

**I got three reviews this time! Thanks to captive1princess, Lady Maeror (a repeat reviewer), and Anonymouse (via anonymous review).**

**Disclaimer: I, the Phantom, do not own Ranger's Apprentice. If the Phantom did, she would not be writing FanFiction! **

**Chapter Three**

**Gathering Time**

Watching the sun rise, Celestine decided, was probably the only good part about waking before the sun rose in the ungodly hours of the early dawn. It had become morning ritual after her first few months as a Ranger apprentice.

At first, it had been a pain to wake the girl in the morning. She simply loved her bed too much and didn't want to greet the day. Berenger thought it rather ironic, since the girl slept as lightly as a nervous cat, waking at the slightest sound and, rumor had it, sleeping with her saxe knife in her hand.

But the sunrise made it worth everything. Every morning, Celestine would walk to the edge of the cliff, waiting quietly for the sun to crest the horizon over the Narrow Sea. The first hint would appear as a faint glimmer of white, quickly turning to a multitude of purple and red hues, turning the waves into a garden of jewels.

Celestine watched from the edge of the cliff, viewing the sunrise now. The cowl of her cloak was up and her horse Azure was standing silently beneath her. She allowed herself to zone out slightly as her gaze was locked on the horizon.

Her moment was broken when Berenger and Lancelot appeared behind her.

"Are you ready?" Berenger was, Celestine had learned, not one for words. He usually said what had to be said and not much more. It wasn't that he was quiet really, just that he didn't really see the sense in babbling.

Her teacher's character, she knew, was reflected in how he looked. His hair was a soft brown color, his face was kind, and chocolate brown eyes completed the picture. Overall, he was a little taller than Celestine's height and narrow in stature.

Celestine nodded and turned Azure toward the road.

It was time for the Ranger Gathering and nothing would make her miss this one. Nope, not rapid wolves or boars, not even a national emergency would even think about keeping the eighteen year old from the Gathering this year.

As the only apprentice in her year, she'd been slightly lonely during her first Gathering.

Her second year, word reached Caraway that the Ranger Halt of Redmont had taken on an apprentice, and they would be attending the Gathering. She'd met the kid for a scant few minutes before he'd been whisked away to track the Kalkara.

Her third year, she'd been disappointed to realize the boy was in Skandia, of all places. She didn't even get to see Halt that year, since he'd gotten himself banished.

But this year would be different. Of course, there were other apprentices by now, but none as famous or well known as Will.

Thoughts like these occupied her mind for most of the two-day ride. Of course, she didn't let her practice wane. During every possible moment, she set herself to practice her archery and knives, not to mention her concealed movement and tactical skills.

So, two days later, Celestine found herself excited to _really_ meet the younger apprentice.

It was Azure who alerted Celestine to a presence. She gently pulled the reins, bringing her horse to a stop. She looked to her mentor to find he'd stopped as well.

Celestine loosened her hold on the reins and glanced around. If she interpreted Azure's body language, their visitor, or visitors, were just ahead of them on the path and, when a greeting sounded from Azure and Lancelot, Celestine knew the visitor to be Ranger.

_Rangers, _she corrected. Two answering neighs had sounded. Grinning to herself, she urged Azure forward and they rounded the bend to find two people dressed in the traditional Ranger garb of a dappled gray and green cloak.

Berenger grinned. "Hello Halt," his eyes turned to the younger Ranger. "And this is the famous Will?"

The apprentice grinned slightly and shifted his eyes. "Yeah, that's me."

"Have you met any of the other apprentices Will?" she asked suddenly.

Will shrugged. "Not really, no."

Celestine grinned. "Well then, I guess I'm the first one you've met. I'm Celestine. We're from Caraway."

Will didn't really take that long to come around and start doing most of the talking. We rode that way for a couple hours until I realized we were nearing the Gathering site.

But it was Halt and Berenger that gave them the idea.

It was Halt who reined in his horse first, the rest of us following suit. He looked around slightly, raising the suspense.

"Okay," he finally said. "I don't see him anywhere."

Celestine blinked and opened her mouth to question but was beat out by Will. "Who are you talking about? Why did we stop?"

Halt held up a hand for silence. "Crowley. He usually sets up a trick along the way, trying to get the best of the other Rangers and apprentices."

"So, why don't the two of you try to find him?" Berenger concluded, a mischievous glint in his eye.

She blinked. It could be hard to sneak up on Crowley if it came to that. Not only that, but if her and Will were to veer off the course and not arrive with their masters, it may arouse some suspicion. But, if they went on foot…

A grin spread across her face. She turned to Will, seeing that he may've been following a similar thought pattern.

Finally, she shrugged. "I'm in," she stated, a plan already forming in her mind.

Will laughed beside her. "Me too."

Berenger grinned. "Good. Think of it as an… early assessment."

Halt nodded. "So, you'll leave your horses with us and go on foot."

Celestine's jaw nearly dropped. She'd been only considering (_considering,_ mind you) that possibility.

"So, how will you explain our absence?" she asked.

Berenger grinned. "Oh, that'll be easy. You two just got annoying and we made you walk the rest of the way. It's your part that's going to be hard."

So Celestine found herself standing in the middle of the road with nothing but her bow, some arrows, cloak, knives, and her boots. Oh, and Will was there of course, along with his Ranger gear and skills.

By unspoken agreement, Celestine and Will melted into the trees and undergrowth on the side of the road and waited till their masters rounded the turn, cutting them off from view.

"Sooo…." she began. "What are we going to do?" She raised and eyebrow and looked to Will.

He thought for a minute. "What does Crowley usually do?"

Celestine pondered over that. "Well, like Halt said, he usually tries to set up some kind of trick. Usually something that we should notice, although he tries to keep us guessing, so he does something different every year."

Will nodded then looked to Celestine again. "What skill does he usually test? It seems like her wouldn't try to shoot us or throw knives at our heads."

Celestine had a thought of one of the Rangers comically dodging a well-thrown knife. _Nope, _she thought, _probably not. _

"Then that leaves tactical skills and unseen movement," she said softly, thinking out loud.

Will nodded. "So… unseen movement then?" 

Celestine nodded. "Probably the best guess. Probably the best thing we can do is circle the Gathering site and see if we find him."

Will nodded in agreement. "Well, better get started then. If I remember right, the Gathering site is about two, maybe three, kilometers from here. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Overall, the giant circle Celestine and Will made gradually grew smaller and smaller as they neared the Gathering and time was starting to tick away. The sun was making its way toward the horizon and the mid-afternoon light was turning into dusk.

Of course, it was only then that she noticed their problem. She turned to Will, who was following her at about ten meters, watching for movement Crowley could've made once she passed.

"Will," she hissed. "How long have we been out here?"

Will waited to catch up to her before answering. "Not sure exactly." He looked to the sky. "About two hours, perhaps."

She nodded. "So we should be there by now. Maybe we should start heading in a straight line."

Will looked at her like she was nuts. "Seriously?" he finally said. "You do remember Halt and Berenger _told_ us to do this, right?"

She nodded grimly. "They did tell us to attempt to offset Crowley, but it shouldn't take us this long to walk the distance. If anything, someone else might think we got up to some sort of mischief or something. It won't be as easy for them to cover for us."

Will's expression started to show understanding, whether than suspicion that the other apprentice was a crazy person.

"Should we go back to the road or…" he left his sentence hanging in the air and made a vague gesture toward the site from their current position.

She thought about that. If they did go straight there from here, the possibility remained that they could stumble upon Crowley. It would also mean they would have to go as quickly and as silently as possible, taking away time.

Finally, she nodded. It made more sense in the long run, and they could say they had been practicing for their assessments if anyone questioned their timing.

Slowly, the two apprentices turned toward the Gathering site, trusting they were heading in the correct direction. Overall, it was slow going and Celestine was itching to go faster. She steeled herself, knowing going this slow was part of the plan. Still, it didn't curb her anxiousness.

Unknowingly, Celestine had taken up Will's previous position as background sweeper, watching for movement as Will passed the point.

It is also the best place to see the movement of the person ahead of you and asses their body language. There was absolutely no question that Will understood what he was doing. Soft boots, similar to the ones she wore, made the smallest possible noise through the underbrush. His Ranger cloak allowed him to nearly disappear in the foliage. If Celestine hadn't been looking for his motion, she wouldn't have seen him at all.

It was this movement disappearing that caused her to stop in her tracks. He'd seen something.

She waited a moment and was rewarded with the call of a bird.

Yes, Will had seen something. And, given their present predicament, it was probably Crowley. She eyed his position and stepped forward silently until she came level with Will.

She saw it. The small enclosure reminded her of thicket. Branches and underbrush had been dragged into a tent-like blind.

**Yay for cliffy! Don't you all love cliffhangers! Teehee. Anyway, if you liked it, or just want to see what Celestine and Will do, review and leave me your comment! That would mean clicking that button right there, the one with the thought bubble next to it! **


	4. Skewered Fish

**I know it's been forever since I've updated this and I am so so sorry.**

**Two reviews this time: captive1princess and Lady Maeror.**

**Oh, and for the rest of this story, I'll be switching to first person POV via Celestine, although other characters may get their moment in the metaphorical spotlight. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, places, or situations. All others belong to me. **

**Chapter Four**

**Skewered Fish**

**Celestine's POV**

"So this man we're meeting is your boss?" 

I nodded. "Corps Commandant actually."

Normally anyone would've taken the hint and left me alone to my own thoughts, but Catalina MacNeil was not one of those people.

"So, I was wondering. How do you Rangers always react so quickly to everything when you're so far away from one another. Wouldn't it take forever to send news to other fiefs?"

I looked at my best friend. I'd known Catalina, or Lina as she preferred to be called, since we were kids. It'd been completely bewildering to everyone when we struck up our friendship. In truth, we had very little in common. While I was reserved, preferring to watch other people rather than be the middle of attention. I also had the tendency to be calm, quiet, and slightly grim at times.

Lina, on the other hand, was loud, boisterous, and friendly. She was tall and broad shouldered, while I was on the short side.

In fact, the only real thing we had in common at all was that both were the first women in our respective fields, Lina as a knight, and myself a Ranger.

Either way, we'd become great friends, who were now sitting in the corner of an inn's taproom, waiting for Crowley to appear.

The messages he'd sent us had been vague to say the least. All it had said was that Crowley needed the us for a mission.

"Have you two ordered dinner yet?"

I'm pretty sure I jumped out of my skin. Unfortunately, I've never taken well to being taken by surprise, ironic no?

It also didn't help that I was on edge. And, after you take all those into account, the fact that my saxe knife was out of the scabbard and in a defensive position against _Crowley_ and _Gilan._

"Oh, hullo, um... we thought we'd -"

"Gilan! For the love of all that is good, DO NOT sneak up on my like that! I was getting ready to skewer you!"

Lina took a minute to realize that she'd yelled and that every other eye in the taproom was now focused on us. Of course, it was only then that she noticed Crowley was standing beside Gilan, desperately attempting not to let any laughs escape.

Sadly, I was never that good at hiding laughter, and had so far managed to keep any giggles from escaping until I looked at Gilan.

It's hard to explain the look on Gilan's face at that exact moment. It seemed to be an odd combination of confusion and mortification.

Either way, Lina was still attempting to talk off her embarrassment at her own outburst.

"Oh, hi! You must be Crowley. Name's Lina!"

She stuck her hand out for a handshake, which Crowley tentatively took.

Well, it took a while for everyone else to get back to their own business, so we could get down to ours.

So, with plates of salmon and hog mugs of the steaming-deliciousness that is coffee in front of us, we did just that.

Of course, I got a little bit of an idea about the purpose for this particular meeting when Crowley turned to me and asked, "How much do you know about the Outsiders?"

**Wow, that was short. I guess it was kind of an introduction of Lina, who happens to be MacNeil's daughter, which is how Lina knows Gilan. **

**Anyway, sorry about the long update time, more to come soon. I promise. **


	5. Planning

**Okay, so here's chapter five. I'm liking the way this story's going, right now. Note: I'm going on vacation for two weeks, so I will have little to no access to technology. I figured you guys deserved a chapter before I left. **

**Here's to my reviewers: Rydd Rider, Lady Maeror, and Cassie (via anonymous review).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rangers Apprentice, but any characters of my creation do belong to me. **

Chapter Five

Celestine's POV

The stay on the ship was normal enough as ship-rides normally go. Actually, due to the narrow stretch of water between Araluen and Hibernia, the short trip was actually gentle. We (meaning Will, Uncle Halt, Gilan, Horace, Lina, and myself) set out on a clear day. In fact, there hadn't been a cloud for miles.

Either way, I was glad when my feet touched land again. There was just something about being at the complete mercy of the sea that didn't sit right with me. Of course, I'm not all to comfortable being in close quarters with too many people for an extended period of time.

It had hardly been a normal stay on the ship. Araluen had hardly waged oversea war in the past seventy or so years, so the sight of one hundred and twenty warriors (including archers and foot soldiers) was something to see indeed.

"Celestine!"

I looked up at the call. Will was waving at me from down the docks, motioning for me to come over there.

I glanced around, seeing if Lina had disembarked yet. She hadn't, so I turned toward Will and walked over.

So that was how I found myself seated in the far corner of a rather quiet tavern.

Now, normally no one (meaning anyone with a bit of sense) would discuss critical plans in a tavern. But this one was, however, probably the most quiet public-drinking place I'd ever been in. Including us (meaning the Rangers on this trip), there were about six people in the whole place. There were four of us.

Most of the time, taverns were places for gathering information. Today, they were for going over the plan and eating. Honestly, ship food wasn't all that good either. So, because we were all scarfing down our food, we didn't begin discussion until we'd all finished and started in on our coffee.

"So, what exactly is our plan?" Will asked, a concerned look on his face.

Uncle Halt shot him a look, and I got the feeling Halt didn't really want to go over the plan yet, probably because it still had holes in it.

Finally he said something. "We split up. Each of us takes a portion of the soldiers with each of us, along with a commanding knight, and methodically sweep the Outsiders out of Hibernia."

I chewed the inside of my lip, considering the plan. In theory, it was good, but every plan can have something go wrong, so I was looking for loopholes.

"What do we do with the converts?" Gilan asked. "Technically, they're Outsiders too."

Halt raised an eyebrow at his former apprentice. "You do realize," he began. "That the majority of the population of Hibernia has converted?"

The corner of Gilan's mouth twitched into a smile, then he nodded. "Yes, that's why I was asking. We can hardly chase them away too."

"I guess we'll have to un-convert them then." Will stated, rather matter-of-factly.

Halt nodded. "The question is: how? Celestine, any ideas?"

I blinked and took a long drink of coffee before answering. "Well, it seems some of them would probably go back to their former religion, but some will be die-hard converts and will fight to the end if they are given the chance. I think we'll have to get rid of them too."

Halt nodded. "Then we'll need a good feel of how most citizens feel."

Heads nodded in agreement.

"Celestine, that'll be your job."

Wait? What?

**Wow. That was... short. Sorry guys. I'm going to hold off on this story until I get to read Halt's Peril. **


End file.
